Manager | Markus Leimbach, KAAD |
Spiritual Advisor: | Father Professor Ulrich Engel OP |
The term generational conflict emerged in the 1960s and refers to the conflict between different generations, which is often characterised by prejudices against the other generation. Naturally, there are discussions and arguments about views and values between the generations, each of which forms its own identity and expresses the essence of its time in specific forms of culture, art and innovation.
Between the current generations of ‘Traditionalists’, ‘Baby Boomers’, ‘Generation X’, ‘Millennials’ and ‘Generation Z’, the term ‘work-life balance’ in particular is defined and understood differently. The unequal perspectives on the relationship between work and private life thus become a point of conflict.
The differences are exacerbated by the rapid development in the digital sector, which also leads to different ways of thinking, living and working. While generations Y (‘millennials’) and Z were born into the digital age as so-called ‘digital natives’, the ‘digital immigrants’, i.e. the baby boomer generation and generation X, did not grow up with the internet, smartphones or other digital technologies.
The seminar will first define the characteristics that distinguish the individual generations from one another - also in a global context - and then work out what similarities and conflicts exist between the five current generations. What opportunities does cross-generational cooperation harbour? What challenges does it pose? What and how can generations learn from each other?
In addition, the extent to which generational conflicts are comparable worldwide and what role traditions and social structures play in this will be discussed.